Enrollment
127
Alaska · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Willow, AK
Willow Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Willow Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 020051000721
👥 S:T ratio 49
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Willow Elementary earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Alaska median.
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.7:1
- students per teacher
- 65.2%
- free-lunch eligible
- 127
- students enrolled
Willow Elementary has class sizes near the Alaska median. Computed live against every Alaska school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District · Alaska
NCES ID 020051000721 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
10.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.7:1
vs 15.2:1 Alaska avg
-16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
65.2%
vs 61.5% Alaska avg
+6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Willow Elementary compares with Alaska and U.S. medians
What stands out at Willow Elementary
Willow Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Willow, Alaska, enrolling 127 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.7:1 puts it in the smaller third of Alaska schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 65.2% lands close to the Alaska typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 127 students, its enrollment sits close to the Alaska median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 495 scored Alaska schools.
Against 16 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #6.
Its student body is led by White (76%) and Two or More (13%) (diversity index 40/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 68.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District spends $16,171 per pupil, 51% below the Alaska average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District also operates Mat-Su Central School (2,780 students) and Colony High School (1,046 students) alongside Willow Elementary.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Willow Elementary compares
Willow Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Alaska and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Alaska | Alaska avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.7:1 | ▼ 16% | 15.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 65.2% | ▲ 6% | 61.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 127 | top 59% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.7:1
Leaner classes than 69% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
127
Bigger than 12% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
65.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 6% above the Alaska average of 61.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.7:1
students per teacher
- 16% below state mean
Top 37% in Alaska - lower ratio than 63% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
68.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$16,171
per pupil, district-wide
- below Alaska avg of $33,240
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 75.6%
Two or More 13.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 7.1%
Hispanic or Latino 3.1%
African American 0.8%
Largest group: White at 75.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 40.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 40.4, Willow Elementary is less mixed than the Alaska school average of 43.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District, which includes Willow Elementary.
$16,171
Per student
-51%
vs Alaska
Avg $33,240
-3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 22.6%
State 62.7%
Federal 14.7%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Willow Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mat-Su Central School | Larger | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
| Colony High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Wasilla High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Colony Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mat-Su Career & Tech Ed High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Willow Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,780
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 1,046
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 816
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 771
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 705
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Alaska, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~127 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Willow Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Willow Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Willow Elementary
How many students attend Willow Elementary?
Willow Elementary has 127 students enrolled. It is a public school in Willow, AK.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Willow Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Willow Elementary is 12.7:1, which is 16% lower than the Alaska average of 15.2:1 and 19% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Willow Elementary?
65.2% of students at Willow Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alaska average of 61.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Willow Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Willow Elementary is White at 75.6% of enrollment, in Willow, AK.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Willow Elementary?
Willow Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Willow Elementary a good school?
Willow Elementary earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Alaska median. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District?
Besides Willow Elementary, Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District also operates Mat-Su Central School (2,780 students), Colony High School (1,046 students), and Wasilla High School (816 students). See the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.